The Skutt 609 kiln came with a manually operated kiln setter. This takes a special small cone for activation.

The modification is to remove the manual system and replace it with an electronic system. This mods are based on a Fuji PXR-3 controller that can be found on the internet in the sixty-dollar range. Skutt does sell a very nice controller unit, but $800 is just a bit too much for my liking.

The first try was using a small thermocouple supplied by Brinker Controls. This did work, but after the first firing, to cone 04, the thermocouple showed signs of abuse. A model 1515 Skutt replacement unit made of 8 gauge wire is now in place. It will deteriorate over time, but not as fast as the first thermocouple.

Clay Art Center in Tacoma, Washington stocks the thermocouple socket, insulators and thermocouple wire. They ship using USPS which is so much less costly than either UPS or FedEx to Alaska. With the parts from Clay Art, the modification from a manual to an electronic kiln setter is now complete.